She jumps at first but then settles and leans into it. “Does that feel better?”

She nods. So I stand there for a few minutes and hum Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. When the song is over I remove the peas and throw them back in the freezer.

“How about we go take a quick bath, sweetie, and then we’ll find a t-shirt of mine for you to wear. How does that sound.”

She gives me a sad smile but nods.

Carefully I help her from the counter and lead her upstairs to the master bathroom. I start the shower and help Ava out of her clothes. I give her a quick bath and take her back to my room to find something to wear.

I get her settled in my bed and I walk over to my dresser and pick up the Frozen DVD I made Tanner pick up for me the other night.

“So I heard all these little girls love Frozen.” Ava’s eyes light up. “How about you say we pop it in and watch it?”

Ava nods and her freshly washed curls come back to life.

I set the movie up and slide in beside her in my bed. Ava scoots over a little closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder and then like she’s afraid she inches her little hand over to mine and grabs a hold of two of my fingers. My heart is breaking right now for this little girl’s untold story. I’m beginning to understand Jeremy’s anger. Who can do this to a child and how can we prevent it from happening again?

About halfway into the movie Tanner appears in the doorway of our bedroom. “Hey.”

He smiles and walks over to me. He sits on the end of the bed, elbows resting on his knees. “Jeremy is losing his mind and nothing I was saying to him could calm him down.”

I run my hand up his back.

“He left. He said he’d be back in one hour. He had to take care of something but wouldn’t tell me what that something is.”

I take a deep breath and let it out. “It’s okay. Ava is fast asleep and she’s safe. He loves this little girl too much to do anything stupid.”

Tanner lays back and puts an arm around my shoulder careful not to hit Ava’s head. “I hope you’re right.”

And hour turns into two, then three, then four. Tanner’s phone starts to ring, he digs it out. “Hello?”

Tanner rests his arm over his face. “Alright, see you in a few hours.”

He tosses his phone on the floor, “Jeremy got locked up.”

I don’t know what to say so I don’t say anything at all. Jeremy hasn’t had it easy since he got together with Ava’s mom. He’s such a great guy and deserves to find his happiness.